Meaty advice on offer at Ekka Beef Week 2025
Beefed up safety messages were the centre attention at Ekka Beef Week as the Office of Industrial Relations (OIR) showcased electrical safety, asbestos awareness and quad bike safety tips at the RNA Showgrounds in Brisbane last month.
OIR proudly sponsored Ekka Beef Week; , an annual event that brings the experience and all aspects of the agriculture sector to the city of Brisbane. This is a great opportunity to engage with people from across Queensland to discuss important health and safety issues specific to regional Queenslanders in agriculture.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland inspectors were in the Main Areana speaking to Queenslanders about available practical tools and safety resources, providing expert advice about asbestos identification, electrical safety on farms and key quad bike safety information, including five simple steps: always wear a helmet, kids on kids’ bikes, don’t double, don’t overload, and quad bike training because even the most experienced riders should be prepared for the unexpected.
More than 2,500 exhibitors and crew, including school agriculture students and 350 farmers attended from across Queensland and northern New South Wales.
Workplace Health and Safety advocates Jodie and Mario Cocco travelled from Atherton to talk about their personal story, when their son Domenic was seriously injured in a quad bike crash.
Domenic was not wearing a helmet when he crashed the unfamiliar quad bike into a pole, and sustained critical head injuries, which took years to recover from.
“We were lucky our son was on an appropriately sized quad bike – I’d hate to think what would have happened if he’d been on an adult sized quad,” Jodie said.
“Our biggest safety messages are to ensure your kids are wearing helmets, and make sure they are trained to ride the quad bike before they attempt it. Never double up and always make sure the quad is the right size for the child.”
Inspectors were also on hand to promote the new Farm Safe Trail educational resource designed for kids.
The resource includes stickers and colouring-in pencils and age-appropriate activities for kids from prep to year 6 and is designed to be used to support teachers and parents with ready-to-use educational content.
After the success of the Farm Safety Calendar, it allows students to identify and understand real farm safety risks in a fun and engaging way.
The annual Farm Safety Calendar competition has attracted more than 2000 entries this year and the 2026 winners will be announced in Safe Work Month in October with 12 different safety messages to be featured.
For more information
- Learn more about the Farm safety calendar competition.
- Discover Jodie and Mario’s story.
- Learn more about Quad bike safety.
- Find out how to identify and manage asbestos.
- Learn how to protect your home and family with safety switches.
Mario and Jodie Cocco at Beef Week 2025, talking about the importance of Quad Bike Safety.
Mario and Jodie Cocco display the Farm Safety Calendar from 2025 at Ekka Beef Week in Brisbane.
The Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) stand at Ekka Beef Week 2025.